"Only when people refuse to tell me what they think I've done wrong."
Garrett's jaw tightened.
Behind him, Officer Dawn Keller had stopped typing.
Dawn had been with Riverside for eleven years.
She stared at Marcus's badge.
Then at the insignia on his coat.
Her expression changed.
She seemed to recognize something.
Maybe not his face.
But the uniform.
She stepped forward.
"Sergeant—"
"Stay out of it, Keller."
Dawn stopped.
Marcus noticed.
He also noticed something else.
The other officers were watching Garrett rather than Marcus.
That told him more than any personnel file could.
Garrett pointed toward the security office.
"You're coming with me."
Marcus didn't move.
"For what?"
"Until we figure out who you are."
Marcus looked at the folder in his hand.
"My credentials are inside."
"Then we'll take a look."
"No."
Garrett's eyes narrowed.
"No?"
"You can ask me to identify myself. You can contact command. You can contact the commissioner's office. But you're not taking my property."
Garrett's face turned red.
"You don't give orders here."
Marcus answered quietly.
"Neither do you."
The words hung in the air.
Garrett looked toward Bryce.
"Get him."
Bryce hesitated.
"Evan."
Evan stepped forward.
Marcus did not resist.
He simply placed the folder on the counter.
Then he turned around.
"Are you sure about this?"
Garrett answered immediately.
"Absolutely."
The handcuffs clicked around Marcus's wrists.
Dawn Keller stared.
The elderly man whispered, "What is happening?"
Marcus remained perfectly still.
He looked at Garrett.
"Sergeant Caldwell."
"What?"
"When Commissioner Whitmore arrives, ask him one question."
Garrett smirked.
"Which is?"
Marcus looked over his shoulder.
"Ask him who you just arrested."
Garrett laughed.
"You think you're funny."
"No."
Marcus's voice remained calm.
"I think you're going to remember this morning for the rest of your career."
Garrett waved toward the holding area.
"Move him."
And the man they had just handcuffed was walked through the station he had been appointed to command.
The holding room at Riverside Police Station was small, gray, and deliberately uncomfortable.
Marcus sat on a metal bench with his hands cuffed behind him.
He could hear phones ringing outside.
He could hear officers talking.
He could hear someone laughing.
Nobody seemed to understand what had just happened.
That was fine.
Marcus had no intention of explaining himself yet.
There were moments in leadership when speaking was useful.
There were other moments when silence revealed more.
This was one of them.
Through the small window in the door, Marcus watched Garrett Caldwell move around the station.
Garrett was talking loudly.
He seemed completely confident.
That confidence concerned Marcus more than the arrest itself.
A person who makes a mistake and immediately realizes it can often be corrected.
A person who makes a mistake and becomes more aggressive is different.
That person may have been protected from consequences before.
After several minutes, Dawn Keller appeared outside the room.
She stopped.
Marcus looked at her.
She looked around before speaking.
"Are you really Marcus Reed?"
"Yes."
Dawn swallowed.
"The Marcus Reed?"
"Depends."
"The new chief."
Marcus smiled faintly.
"That's what the appointment letter says."
Dawn closed her eyes for a moment.
"Oh no."
Marcus almost laughed.
"That's generally not the reaction I prefer."
"I tried to stop them."
"I saw."
Dawn lowered her voice.
"You should know something."
"What?"
"Garrett doesn't like people who challenge him."
"That became obvious."
"He has friends."
"Also obvious."
"And some people here won't want you asking questions."
Marcus leaned back.
"Then they shouldn't give me reasons to ask them."
Dawn looked through the hallway.
"Why didn't you tell him who you were?"
Marcus considered the question.
"Would he have believed me?"
Dawn shook her head.
"No."
"Then I learned something."
"What?"
"That the problem wasn't whether he could identify me."
Marcus looked through the window.
"The problem was that he had already decided what kind of person I was."
Dawn was silent.
Before she could respond, footsteps approached.
Garrett appeared.
"Break time's over."
Dawn moved away.
Garrett unlocked the door.
He stood in the doorway.
"Commissioner's office is sending someone."
Marcus nodded.
"Good."
Garrett smiled.
"You won't be laughing when they charge you."
"Charge me with what?"
"Impersonating an officer."
Marcus stared at him.
Garrett seemed pleased with himself.
Marcus asked, "Have you checked my credentials?"
"No."
"Then how did you determine I was impersonating one?"
Garrett's smile disappeared.
"We'll figure it out."
Marcus said nothing.
Garrett shut the door.
Ten minutes later, the front entrance opened.
A woman in a dark suit entered carrying a folder.
She was followed by two city attorneys.
The lobby became silent.
The woman looked around.
"Where is Marcus Reed?"
Nobody answered.
She asked again.
"Where is Chief Marcus Reed?"
Officer Evan Shaw suddenly went pale.
Bryce Harlan looked toward Garrett.
Garrett stared at the woman.